Material separator



Nov. 26, 1940. w. STONER MATERIAL SEPARATOR Filed July 22, 1956 Y INVENTOR Mn. S $01261" Patented Nov. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application July 22,

8 Claims.

This invention relates to material separators and is particularly directed to an instrumentality for separating the stems from raisins after the same have been moved through the stemmer.

The problem presented is one of handling a large volume of the stems and raisins in a rapid and economical manner so as to materially reduce the time and expense of separating the stems from the raisins and to accomplish as clean and complete a separation as possible.

The object of the invention is therefore to produce an air blast separating instrumentality which will have a very large cross-sectional area across which the air blast moves with considerable velocity, and to then provide a means for passing a continuous sheet-like gravity flow of the raisins and stems across this area, while driving the air in the most effective manner through the falling sheet ofmaterial to lift the stems therefrom while allowing the raisins to continue their gravity flow to suitable conveyors.

These objects I accomplish by the new and novel combination of air blast means and material feeding means as will more fully appear from a perusal of the accompanying drawing and specification.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure l is a vertical cross section taken longitudinally through my improved separator.

Figure 2 is a front end view of one of the separator compartments.

Figure 3 is a perspective View of an air control louver.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing the numeral I designates the upper separator compartment and the numeral 2 a lower compartment of the same character.

Each of these compartments I and 2 are substantially rectangular and in practice of relatively large cross-sectional area, preferably about eight feet square, and they would in practice preferably be about twenty feet long and they are each open from end to end.

In the front end of the compartment I is a air impeller 3 and in the compartment 2 a like impeller 4. These impellers are of a construction to produce a high velocity air blast such as, for instance, an airplane propellor-blade.

A number of feet in front of the impeller 3 are arranged a series of air-deflecting louvers 5 and similar louvers 6 are arranged inwardly of the impeller I. These louvers are pivoted in the sides 1936, Serial No. 91,871 (Cl. 209-135) of their respective compartments by pivot pins I and may be simultaneously moved to any desired adjusted position by a control rod 8 connected with the louvers by links 9 or any other suitable mechanism.

A hopper III discharges into the compartment I just to the rear of the louvers 5-across the full width of the compartment and a like hopper II discharges from the compartment I into the compartment 2 just to the rear of the louvers 6. In practice the compartment 2 is set slightly further toward the rear than the compartment I so that the hopper II will be slightly rearwardly of the hopper I so that raisins leaving the'hopper I0 and being blown rearwardly by the air blast in the compartment I will be sure to fall into the hopper II and be carried tothe compartment 2 immediately to the rear of the louvers 6.

The raisins and stems are fed to the hopper III by any suitable conveyor I2- The louvers and 6 are preferably set to de. fiect the air blast toward the top of the compartments I and 2, the ceilings of these compart--. ments -to the rear of the louvers having a slight inclination upwardly as at Ia and'2a. A portion of the floor of each compartment is inclined upwardly toward the rear end of the compartment immediately adjacent the'louvers and as at F whereby to restrict the relatively large cross sec-- tional area of the compartment passage and thus provide a Venturi efiect and increasing the air speed through the louvers.

In practice the raisins and stems are fed rapidly to the hopper I0. From here theyfall by gravity into the compartment I in a sheet-like form across the rear face of the louvers 5.

The air blast from the impeller 3 strikes against this sheet. Since the stems S tend to float more readily than the more dense raisins R the former are carried out of the raisins with a slight upward movement occasioned by the set of the louvers 5. They then scuttle along the inclined ceiling Ia until the air blast tends to spend its force whereupon such stems fell upon a conveyor I3 and are carried toa point of disposal.

The falling raisins drop into the hopper II and thence into the compartment 2 to the rear of the louvers 6 and here what few remaining stems as may be present are in a like manner separated from the raisins and scuttled along the ceiling 2a to finally fall on a conveyor I4 and be carried to the point of disposal.

The cleaned raisins fall from the compartment 2 through a hopper I5 upon a conveyor I 6 and are carried thereby to any suitable point such as storage bins or directly to the packaging machinery.

The louvers 5 and 6 may have bent out flanges ll arranged in alternate or other desired position to set up eddy currents in the air blast to facilitate the separation of the stems from the falling sheet of raisins.

The rear wall |5a of hopper I5 is hinged at its lower end as at H for adjusting movement. This feature provides for an initial grading of the raisins. The air blast tends to blow the raisins themselves rearwardly somewhat, and the lighter (and hence poorer quality) they are, the greater will be the movement imparted to them by the air. If, therefore, the wall l5a is swung rearwardly as far as possible, it will catch practically all the raisins as they fall. If, on the other hand, it is swung forwardly, it will only catch the heaviest and line quality raisins; the poorer and lighter ones falling to the rear of said wall and outside the hopper.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that by my novel arrangement of air blast compartments and the method of feeding the raisins and stems across the same I am enabled to lift the stems bodily from the mass and carry them up and out of the denser raisins while allowing the latter to continue their downward movement until free of the stems, whereupon they are carried, in their cleaned condition, to any desired point. The manner in which I accomplish this makes for a large capacity plant which will very economically handle a large volume of raisins at moderate cost.

While I have set forth herein the preferred general construction of the apparatus it will of course be apparent that certain deviations in details of construction could easily beindulged in without departing in any way from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A substantially longitudinally disposed compartment, means to create an air blast through the compartment from one end, means to drop material across the compartment intermediate the ends thereof and in the path of the air blast, spaced louvers interposed transversely across the compartment ahead of the zone through which the material falls, and spaced fiangeson each louver bent out of the plane thereof, said flanges being relatively short as compared to the louvers and distributed along substantially the entire length thereof.

2. A structure as in claim 1 in which the flanges of the several louvers are staggered longitudinally relative to the flanges on the adjacent louvers.

3. A structure as in claim 1 in which the flanges of the several louvers are staggered longitudinally relative to the flanges on the adjacent louvers, and in which the flanges of each louver are bent out of the plane of said louver in a direction opposite to the flanges of the adjacent louvers.

4. A substantially longitudinally disposed compartment, means to create an air blast through the compartment from one end, means to drop material adapted for separation across the compartment intermediate the ends thereof and in the path of the air blast, a multiplicity of vertically spaced louvres interposed transversely across the compartment adjacent to and ahead of the zone through which the material falls, and spaced flanges on each louvre bent out of the plane thereof at a point adjacent the rear edge whereby to set up eddy, currents beyond said louvres, said flanges being relatively short as compared to the louvres and distributed along substantially the entire length of said louvres.

5. In apparatus. of the class described, a substantially horizontally elongated tunnel, a blower disposed in one end of the tunnel constructed and arranged'to cause a strong current of air to flow through the tunnel and out of the opposite end thereof, a plurality of vertically spaced, transversely extending strips of rigid material positioned across said opposite end of the tunnel, each strip having one margin formed with a plurality of spaced portions inclined relative to the plane of the strip, said inclined portions being relatively short as compared to the strips and adjacent pairs of strips being disposed with the inclined portions of one strip ofiset horizontally relative to those of the other, and means for dropping material to be separated into the air current at a point spaced from said strips in the direction of movement of said air current.

6. A material separatorincluding a louver assembly means ahead of said louver assembly to create an air blast therethrough, and other means-to feed the material to be separated through the air blast beyond the louver assembly; .said louver assembly comprising a plurality of spaced louvers, and spaced flanges on each louver bent out of the plane thereof, said flanges being relatively short as compared to the louvers and distributed along substantially the entire length thereof.

7. A material separator including a louver as- 'sei'nbly, means ahead of said louver assembly to create an air blast therethrough, and other means to feed the material to be separated through the air blast beyond the louver assembly; said louver assembly comprising a plurality of spaced louvers, and spaced flanges on each louver bent out of the plane thereof, said flanges being relatively short as compared to the louvers and distributed along substantially the entire length thereof, the flanges of the several louvers being staggered longitudinally relative to the 

